Timing is everything with credit card payments
If you want your credit report to show you as debt free, the timing of your payments is crucial. When you get your credit card statement every month, it’s…
Author: Rick Good
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader's money, real estate, and business coverage.
Credit card points not much of a bargain
If you wonder if you are missing out on a smart money play with credit card points and rewards, stop wondering. These credit perks are trendy. We hear…
Not for everyone: The case for claiming Social Security early
Everyone knows that waiting to collect Social Security at your full retirement age gives you a much higher benefit than claiming it at 62. But is that…
How to tank your credit score overnight
If you want to whip up a credit catastrophe, miss a payment. On-time payments account for 35 percent of your credit score. It is the biggest single chunk…
Be sure to read it before signing the lease
Apartment complex managers say most people don’t read the whole lease before signing it. Later, if there’s a problem, they’ll say, “You didn’t tell me…
Cancelled cruise hints at industry’s inner workings
The cruise industry has been hauling in guests through the post-pandemic years. More than 31 million people took to the seas in 2023, with increased…
What’s new? The HR department wants to know!
Each January, the Human Resources Department asks that we take a moment to think of changes in our lives that have occurred during the last year. Records…
China’s shadow banks cast dark clouds on an already struggling economy
China may be hurtling toward a cliff country’s real estate woes have created headwinds for other segments of the country’s economy. In particular, the…
Ask the Expert
We’ve been looking at investment properties. What are the pros and cons of a duplex, triplex or fourplex? You are wise to consider all investments…
How long do Christmas decorations stay up?
You put so much time into decorating that tree and hanging garlands — seems a shame to take it all down in a month. But most people do. According to a…